License Renewal Delays in Massachusetts

My LTC expired on 11/1. Trying to be proactive, I met with the issuing officer in my town 4 weeks before it expired to renew it. He was very polite and accommodating, but at the end of the appointment he told me almost apologetically that the "wait time" for a renewal was currently 12 weeks or more.
He told me I could hunt and carry for up to 90 days after the expiration date and would be "ok", but that I could not purchase anything, ammo or firearms until the new LTC arrived. After that 90 day exemption is exhausted, persons in possession of guns may be fined $500 - $5,000. I have come to find out through literature published by GOAL that some people are waiting up to six months for a renewal. Representative George Peterson and Senator Richard Moore will be filing emergency legislation to address the Massachusetts firearm licensing crisis in the next few days, but be advised:
IF YOU ARE UP FOR RENEWAL, START THE PROCESS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.